Friday, August 24, 2012

Weekend MLS What 2 Watch 4

And I realize I just used two numbers in substitute for perfectly good words, and somewhere a former journalism professor is wallowing in his own murderous rage, but I am a rebel, dammit. Or an idiot. You're free to think of me either way.

What's up this weekend? Let's take a look.

The Great Brooder.

— Thierry Henry is the most brooding father ever. Our favorite sulking designated player is off this weekend after the birth of his son. It's a biggie too, with SKC on the docket in a matchup of Eastern powers. Anybody in for a pool on Henry pulling a Willis Reed at half? He'll walk onto the pitch with his child held high above his head, which will henceforth be known as Lion Kinging. Next big meme.

— Freddy Adu's grace period is officially over.John Hackworth's comments this week officially stripped the veneer off the Adu reclamation project. Puzzling and a little ironic that The Great Destroyer Peter Nowak didn't suss this out of him first, but here we are. Adu has been the definition of flighty since his return to MLS, and I wouldn't be against throwing out a 'disappointing' tag as well. He'll look prodigious in one game and then disappear for the next five. There's no reason Adu can't be a regular string-puller for the boys in blue, but he's got a ways to go yet. We'll see how he responds this weekend against an RSL team that pulled midweek CCL duty.

— I appreciate Timbers owner Merritt Paulson's verve. But the guy has to learn when to shut it down. A testy Twitter exchange between Paulson and his followers over coach Gavin Wilkinson this week led Paulson to issue a number of defensive remarks about Wilkinson's legitimacy, including a vague reference to "idiots." Superb. And then rumors begin to circulate (and only rumors, mind you) that a certain Caleb Porter is in the mix for the future head job. Might as well hire Wynalda. After letting go in a 3-2 loss to New York last weekend that could've served as a rallying cry of sorts, Portland was forced back to square one again. The cracks are visible. A Cascadia Cup tie against Vancouver this week could be a salve or a hammer to the face. Who else is taking the latter?

— Can FCD really pull this off? Dallas was flirting with Portland at the bottom of the Western table as recently as a month ago, but a healthy roster has provided the jet fuel for an enormous boost the last few weeks. And look who else is back. Blas Perez was supposed to be FCD's long-awaited striker, but injuries and personal issues have derailed his season. As a side effect, it also helped to derail Brek Shea, who has been moved all over the pitch as a result. FCD is 3-0-1 in its last four and hasn't lost since a 1-0 decision against LA in July. A quick glance at the standings should give you a hint as to how much of a must-win Sunday night's FCD-LAG feature at the HDC is for FCD's accelerating playoff hopes.

— Where the Toja lands, no one knows. Juan Toja is sulking back to MLS after a stint in Europe, and the Revs are at the plate. The question here I suppose is how sold is Jay Heaps on Benny Feilhaber? The obvious stats haven't been there, but Feilhaber's chance creation stats are solid, and Toja's inclusion might force a serious alteration from Heaps. My prediction? It hardly matters where he goes, because THE MULLET LIVES.

Who is NSC?

NSC is run by Greg Seltzer (MLSsoccer.com), who has reported on soccer across the globe since 2001, covering MLS, U.S. Men, Women & Youth national teams, World Cup, Gold Cup, U-20 World Cup, the UEFA European Championship, UEFA Champions League and Europa League, UEFA Cup, CONCACAF and UEFA qualifiers, Premiership, Bundesliga, Eredivisie, various second-tier leagues, domestic cups and international friendlies.